Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 325 Shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its position in shares of Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,609 shares of the company’s stock after selling 325 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Vistra were worth $3,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VST. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vistra by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in Vistra by 616.0% during the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Vistra in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of Vistra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vistra Trading Down 7.8 %

NYSE VST opened at $150.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.68, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $160.19 and its 200-day moving average is $131.92. Vistra Corp. has a one year low of $46.18 and a one year high of $199.84. The firm has a market cap of $51.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.22.

Vistra announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, November 7th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Vistra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.2235 dividend. This represents a $0.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.59%. This is a positive change from Vistra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Vistra’s payout ratio is presently 16.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Scott A. Hudson sold 115,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.16, for a total value of $18,878,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 254,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,849,637.12. This trade represents a 31.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Scott B. Helm sold 20,000 shares of Vistra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.77, for a total value of $2,795,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 343,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,990,029.50. This represents a 5.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Vistra in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $202.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on Vistra from $161.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Vistra in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $206.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Vistra from $151.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Vistra from $135.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.64.

Vistra Company Profile

Vistra Corp., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company. The company operates through six segments: Retail, Texas, East, West, Sunset, and Asset Closure. It retails electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across states in the United States and the District of Columbia.